Wild Fire
by Alpha121
Summary: For a year now, Eragon and Saphira have been teaching unruly new riders at Vrogengard, and they're sick of it. They want excitement, and they get their wish with a bite in the butt sting, Eragon goes missing. Now it's a race against time to find him before Shruikan can finish training his own new dragon riders through his Eldunari.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1, Alagesia on short notice.

Eragon yawned. It was before dawn, and he had to take Saphira out flying before he got stuck training his two current students and their dragons.

Those two were out of control! Who knew an elf and an urgal kid could get into so much trouble!

He walked over to Saphira and sent her a wakeup call.

_Is it morning already? _Saphira groaned, yawning.

She stretched like a cat and shook the sleep from her scales before readying herself for the flight.

It was more of a patrol, but they did it for fun. Plus, they had to guide in the ship with their newest student, a human girl named Kate. Her dragon, Amathrysta, was a deep purple color with yellow markings down her sides.

She'd be the youngest there, as Kate was only thirteen. Why Amathrysta had hatched for a kid was still a question in his mind.

His other two students were older, but immature.

The elf boy's name is Jackal, feral boy, he seemed to be more human than elf. His dragon's name was Zangor, a bright orange dragon with an attitude.

The urgal boy's name is Gar, and his dragon was Leckan. Lekan is black with some brown freckles, and breaths fire at everything that moves. Those two were his first students.

"Alright Saphira, let's head out." Eragon yawned.

"_Are you sure I that you should come today? You are tired and early hours don't seem like the best idea for you at the moment."_

"I'm fine Saphira, how else am I supposed to wake up?"

"_I'll make sure to go fast for you then."_

Eragon mounted Saphira and she leapt off the balcony, soaring into the cold morning.

They were joined by Gar and Lekan. The two were unusually calm in the mornings.

"So the new girls are arriving today?" He asked. Gar had a strange way of being more human than most urgals, allowing calm and a heightened intelligence through.

"_I would like to meet the newcomers. Though, you have neglected to give us their names." _Lekan stated, his gravelly voice echoing in their heads.

"_The girl's name is Kate and the dragoness's name is Amathrysta, in tribute to her amethyst scales." _Saphira responded.

Their peace was destroyed moments later when Jackal came out of nowhere riding Zangor who let out a terrifying roar.

"What is it now Jackal?" Asked Eragon, sounding slightly annoyed.

"_We were having a discussion!" _Complained Saphira.

"Come quick! The Dragon wing! Something attacked from underwater! It's been destroyed!" Cried Jackal.

With a surge of fear from all of them, they shot towards the place Jackal and Zangor had pointed.

In a matter of seconds, the dragons and riders stared in horror at the wreckage of what was the Dragon wing. Something had cleaved the ship perfectly in half.

There was a strangled roar and they looked to see Amathrysta and Kate struggling to get out from below decks in the sinking ship.

"Saphira, some energy, and get us down low!" Cried Eragon.

Saphira darted down, giving Eragon a little bit of energy.

"Adurna Risa!" Called Eragon, parting enough water to allow the Dragon, rider, and the crew to get out from under the ship before Eragon cut the flow of magic and sent the ship down with the thin stretch of water it rested on.

As soon as he cut the string of magic, Eragon was seeing spots and gasping for breath. He doubled over and groaned. It took a lot more energy than he'd thought, even when he'd used up the supply in the belt of beloth the wise for a lot of it.

Zangor and Jackal caught up and started getting the people out of the water and back to the island with the help of Lekan and Gar.

The water stirred as the purple dragoness and her rider emerged from the water.

Amathrysta was a lot smaller than they'd envisioned. She was the color of an amethyst, and barely bigger than your average horse.

"_Thank you! I fear that if you had not come sooner, we would have drowned." _The young dragon gasped.

"Do you have any idea what just attacked us?" Questioned Kate.

They hadn't envisioned her to look like she did either. She had wavy caramel brown hair that a little ways down her shoulders. She had slightly pale skin and brown eyes. She also had freckles across the bridge of her nose, cheeks, and forehead.

She was wearing a blue shirt and some black pants. Apparently like Arya, opposing to wear dresses. She had a blue bandana in her hair keeping it out of her face.

"We don't know, we only just got here, but it cut the ship in half in what looks to be a single blow, so it had to have been big." Eragon said.

"It was green and looked like a dragon's arrowhead tail. That's all I know about it." Called Jackal.

"_There was a shadow in the water. That's not all. The creature had a vast consciousness, and it was filled with rage and the singular desire to kill." _Relayed Zangor.

The orange dragon shivered. _"I have never felt anything like it even in the shade we killed a month ago."_

"Well, let's get these men to safety before we get too deep into this conversation." Gar said, and he and lekan made another dive.

"Might as well." Kate and Amathrysta dove down to a man clutching at a barrel and screaming his head off.

"Help! I know I work on the damn boat but I can't swim!" He wailed, to all of their amusement.

"_Jeez, they must be low on people willing to take these jobs!" _Lekan laughed, and Eragon noticed regretfully that the sun was up.

"Aww, man. Just when I thought he'd stay calm." He muttered.

"YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Screamed Gar as he and Lekan dive bombed the ship and tearing the bow off as it sunk before helping anybody.

"AAAAAHHHHH! I'm afraid of heights!" Screamed the man who couldn't swim who was grasped tightly between Amathrysta's claws.

"_Where do you find these people?" _Asked Amathrysta incredulously.

"I don't know, but we're talking to Joed about that." Muttered Eragon.

"No! Help! Put me down!" The man screamed.

"Would you please shut up!" Snapped Kate.

They continued in this fashion for another twenty minutes.

Landing on Vrogengard, They resumed their schedule.

"Okay, Amathrysta, Leken, Zangor, go with Saphira. Jakal, Gar, and Kate, you're with me." Eragon instructed.

Kate looked incredulously at the elf and urgal. Neither of them fit the characters of their race!

"_I get what you mean, the dragons are out of control, watch out for the riders." _Amethrysta warned.

"_Oh yeah. Don't worry. I think it would be a good idea to keep our minds open to each other for the day so we can talk." _Kate replied through their mental link. She sent her dragon a mental grimace and a picture of the two throwing rocks at each other.

"_An elf throwing rocks at an urgal? I'd expect the other way around!" _Amethrysta exclaimed.

"_If you two are done chatting, we have lessons to do." _Saphira said. There was mental laughter from Eragon.

They stopped talking.

"The first thing I have to do is teach you how to secure your link and work on your mental defenses." Eragon laughed as her face turned pink.

"_Hmm, Saphira, Those two are the only in control students by our standards and examples." _Eragon shot her the picture of the urgal and the elf throwing rocks.

"_You know, This is what I caught those two discussing."_ Saphira laughed.

Eragon cut the conversation.

"Okay, first today… Well first of all quit throwing rocks at each other!" Eragon cried out in exasperation.

Gar and Jackal put the rocks down.

"Okay, we'll start off with Kate sword fighting, Jackal, you go meditate, and Gar, you never finished reading that scroll on the ancient language I gave you to study, so you do that." Eragon instructed.

He saw the corner of Kate's mouth twitch into a brief smile while Gar scowled and walked away. Jackal Didn't seem to care as he walked off into the forest.

"Okay, catch." He tossed her a standard wooden sword.

Gar had arrived as his first student, and had already started practicing with a steel sword, so she eyed his.

"The design in that one is flawed, who made it? It's got some stripes in the steel that suggest it's goanna break soon, if it's being used or not."

To prove her point, the blade fell off.

"Well, he'll get a new one." Eragon said with a slight flinch. That had been Gar's favorite sword, it was the only one with a curved blade.

"Okay, let's begin."

It took him moments to disarm her. She looked surprised, but only for a moment. She kicked some dirt in his face, causing him to stop and cough while she dove for her sword and whacked his arm, the blow going a little higher than she wanted and only pushing him.

Eragon retaliated with a swipe that sent her sword to the side and a lunge, placing the tip of his wooden blade where her heart was.

He smiled. "Dead. Try again?"

They kept doing it, each time Eragon won, and pronounced her dead every time.

After the hour was up, the other two came back.

"Jackal, what did you accomplish today?" Eragon asked.

"I learned that Hawks are as intelligent as dragons and are living in a society ruled by a king." He said with a toothy smile.

Eragon sighed. "No, Jackal, you need to see everything, not just the hawks. Gar did you finish?"

Gar grunted in response.

"Very well, I will quiz you on it tomorrow. Kate, how about you?"

"I learned not to mess with you Shadeslayer." She said with a wry smile. "But I did learn never to judge an opponent until you know what he's capable of. And that you need to talk to Gar about his sword choice." She smirked when another curved blade hit the ground without its hilt.

"What about my sword choice?" Clang! "Oh" Gar growled. "Were you using my swords?"

"No, they were just poorly constructed." Eragon said defensively.

"Right." He grunted.

"Okay, Gar, you can go try meditating again, I have some scripts for you in there Kate, and Jackal, we're sparring." Eragon gave the next set of instructions.

"_My lessons aren't much better. They need help. Actually, we need proper mentors who can handle us." _Amethrysta empathized.

"_Saphira could e listening, so we'll talk after." _Kate said.

The day went on forever for the two newcomers and the mentors, while the others goofed off.

Eragon sighed. The day was over.

"_When do we get to go out again? Amethrysta was right, we need help or they need mentors. The only problem is that Arya and Murtagh ducked out on me while their dragons agreed and they left me to this. I feel bad for Oromis and Glaedr for having to suffer through our training." _Eragon complained.

"_I feel weak after every lesson and I am sore and exasperated. We were not cut out for this." _Saphira sighed.

"Do I have a place to stay here?" asked Kate.

She'd heard every last word they'd said.

"Yes, I'll show you." Eragon yawned.

"You four, go and do whatever." He motioned at the wily elf urgal and dragons who were out in the air in ten seconds flat.

Eragon showed them a place to stay and headed off on Saphira.

The two entered their home through the balcony and Eragon flopped down on his bed.

"I feel like I could sleep for a century." He muttered.

"_I will go hunt. See you before sunrise." _Saphira took off as Eragon drifted to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2, Watch your backs

Saphira flew high over Vrogengard, searching for her prey. She was deep in thought.

"_How am I supposed to carry on like this? This is more taxing of me than fighting the empire! It used to be just Eragon and I plus somebody else on the joy ride, now I need a break." _Saphira thought to herself, drifting over the air currents.

"_Maybe if I kidnapped Eragon to the mainland we could find something to do." _She mused over the Idea of carrying the angry rider across the ocean in her claws listening to him rant on and on with threats he couldn't enforce.

"_Beautiful night for hunting huh."_ Lekan swooped down next to her.

Right, it's past sundown. This is one of the mood shifts both dragon and rider went through.

"_I have the same ideas when I go out flying. My rider devotes more time to his friend Jackal and his studies than me, down to the point where I don't really matter anymore. You should have us sent back to Alegasia for a few months on our own once I am strong enough to fly over the ocean on my own." _He suggested. _"It would help the bond between dragon and rider, and would be a good test."_

"_That is the best Idea you have had since coming here! Not only would it give Eragon and I a chance to rest, but it would help you and your rider too. I will speak with Eragon about this when he wakes in the morning. For the time being, let us hunt!" _Saphira smiled as best she could with her dragon mouth and spotted what she was looking for, a herd of deer.

Licking their chops, the dragons plunged, frying the herd before setting down to eat. There were only seven in the herd, and Saphira was a huge dragon. (She's the size of the dragon wing, so she needs more than that.)

Lekan, however, only needed two, so he flew away, satisfied as Saphira gorged on the other five. Maybe a boar could fill the rest of her stomach.

She decided to hunt on the ground in the fashion of a cat.

Tasting the air, she found that there was one near. Sliding downwind of the creature, she realized how effective this tactic could be.

The boar squealed as it munched on the roots of a mango tree. She slid forwards, opened her mouth, and sent fire directly at her unfortunate prey.

It died instantly and she leapt over to enjoy her kill.

That's when the ground fell out from under her and the chains bound her mouth, wings, and legs, holding her helpless as she roared a slightly muffled roar that still made an earthquake.

There was a choking laugh.

"_Sorry Saphira Brightscales, NOT! Those chains are enchanted by my rider and yours is acting as the power supply! The more you struggle, that harder it is for him to do the same, so please continue." _A pale storm cloud dragon sneered from above her.

"_You filthy Hatchling! How dare you even attempt this atrocity? You would betray your own kind! I name you forsworn!" _Saphira roared.

The other dragon simply laughed. _"Oh, it's so funny! You think I'm goanna pay? That's what this whole story's about. Paying, for what you did to Galbatorix and Shruikan!" _

**Back with Eragon**

Something was sapping at his strength.

That's the first thing he knew. He opened his eyes and groaned. "Saphira, are you back yet?"

Seeing her bed empty, he rolled his eyes. "Of course not."

He felt a sudden drop in his energy and staggered, running into a wall.

Only one thing had ever done that to him before, magic. Serious magic that was being resisted.

He groaned. _"Saphira, are you taking my energy without permission again? Saphira? Saphira!" _

"Saphira!" He yelled, sticking his shoes on and racing to the entryway when another drain on his strength made him stumble into an open closet.

_Funny, I didn't think I left that open and…_

"Don't move rider."

A cold unforgiving voice said as an arrow tip was placed underneath his chin.

Eragon's face paled.

"Now stand up slowly. Any sudden moves and you die. My mentor doesn't care which, though he prefers alive, which is why you and your pathetic dragon are still alive." The voice belonged to a girl. She was definitely younger than Eragon, but just as tall and by the looks of things, stronger and more agile.

Eragon complied. "What have you done with Saphira?" He asked.

"Feel that drain on your strength?" He shuddered as it happened again. "That's a spell feeding off your energy that's holding Saphira down. Don't worry, it's just enchanted chains until we can get her to comply using you."

"Who's with you?" Growled Eragon as she forced him to get onto the balcony.

"Oh, didn't you catch the hint?" She flashed her Gedwey insignia at him.

"You're a rider!" He gasped.

"Finally, I was starting to think you'd gone loony."

There was a roar that was still near deafening from the forest.

"And that would Be Saphira meeting my pal.

The other dragons flew towards the sound, oblivious to the fact of Eragon's life in danger.

"Well, it looks like her usefulness has run out."

She paused in speech for a moment, and a dragon slid onto the balcony. The dragon looked like a living storm cloud.

He opened his mouth, fire brimming in his jaws. The arrow was lowered.

"Now be a good boy and don't move. I took down all your wards against fire, but mine still work. So unless you'd like to be fried by Stormfire here, I'd suggest you do what we say."

He stared in fury at the dragon and rider that had him at their mercy. He could've dodged, but all the dragon has to do was open his throat which could happen at any second, in too short a time to get free.

He felt the chains taking their toll on his strength, which would've slowed him down, keeping him almost rooted to the ground.

She smiled and swung her bow, catching him in the forehead, knocking him out cold before she transferred the energy the spell holding Saphira to the dragons trying to free her.

Then the mysterious girl tied up Eragon and leapt onto her dragon's saddle. Together, they carried the unfortunate rider away.

**Amethrysta and Kate**

"I found the enchantment, I think I can remove it, but it's feeding off our dragons!" Gar growled.

"But you said it was being fueled by someone else a moment ago!" Jackal said.

"Well, whoever did this was a talented spell caster. They know what they're doing and where the blazes is Eragon?"

They all froze. "Eragon!"

"Amethrysta and I will go back and search. You two free Saphira!" Kate mounted her dragon and they took off, soaring to Eragon's and Saphira's home, arriving just in time to see Eragon being carried off.

"Amethrysta! We have to follow them!" Gasped Kate, whipping hair out of her face.

They shot after the dragon, rider and their prisoner at the speed of lightning.

"_Eragon is unharmed but unconscious. If I were to dive underneath them, you could grab him, but use your sword, they'll have to drop him else we risk tearing him in two!" _Amethrysta growled.

Kate drew her sword. It was plain steel, but should work for hacking at dragon feet.

Amethrysta dove down at the dragon, shredding at his wing.

There was a roar of fury as the dragons went down, grappling.

Kate sliced at the claws holding an unconscious Eragon. She never thought he could look so helpless before.

To her dismay, her sword broke on his scales.

She looked down and screamed a warning as the water shot up at them, and the dragons connected with the surface. She fell off. The dragons, however, didn't seem to notice and took off in their furious struggle.

"_Amethrysta! Amethrysta you dropped me!" _She shouted over the mental link.

"_Why didn't you do it?"_

"_If you weren't such a bullhead you'd realize I broke my sword! You said you had a backup plan in case that happened!"_

"_I did, but you didn't do it soon enough! I didn't have time!"_

"_I'm swimming back to Vrogengard."_

"_No, wait right there, don't move!"_

A shark fin surfaced.

There was a 6tremendous splash as both dragons went down next to her, and she leapt onto Amethrysta and strapped myself into the saddle.

The dragons shot up again, and battled in the air, heading at a furious rate to Alagesia.

Before they knew it, the sun was coming up and they had arrived at Alagesia.

"_I cannot go on! I must land or we will fall from the sky!" _Amethrysta gasped.

They landed and the amethyst dragon slumped to the ground.

Kate set to work on healing her wounds.

As soon as that was done, she fell fast asleep next to her dragon.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3, The chase is on

Kate and Amethrysta woke up at dawn.

"_Which way did they go?" _ Amethrysta demanded.

"South east, towards Terim. We can stop there and see if we can find them. That dragon isn't going to fly forever, so let's catch up." Kate replied.

Nodding her approval, Amethrysta motioned for Kate to climb up, which Kate complied, and then took off.

The wind sent Kate's hair back as the Spine drifted past beneath them.

After an hour, Kate called, "There's Narda!"

Amethrysta let out a roar of greeting and everyone on the path looked up, startled.

The horses reared up and whinnied, and a dwarf was pulled off the ground by the reigns.

They laughed and pulled up higher into the air. It was good to be a rider.

Suddenly, arrows shot up from the battlements. There were war cries from below as soldiers bearing the marks of the empire shot forwards.

"Ganga!" The arrows shot away.

"_What? Soldiers from the empire? But the Empire is gone! Isn't it?"_ Amethrysta gasped.

"These ones must just be renegades. Don't waste your time, we have to get to Terim by nightfall, preferably faster than that." Kate reminded her.

Kate felt the drain on her strength take effect. It wasn't as bad as last night, but she still doubled over, nearly hitting one of Amethrysta's spikes.

They left Narda behind and continued over the spine until Amethrysta spotted a deer and had to eat it, so they paused for her before continuing.

"_Wow, I feel like I'm Saphira on one of her adventures with Eragon! Always on the move with my rider! I see why they miss this so much." _Amethrysta commented.

"Well don't get too cocky, we might have more trouble with some renegade soldiers in Terim, so I'll have to scout it out while you wait on the clifftop." Kate said.

"_Now I feel disappointed." _Amethrysta pouted.

"Okay, just don't let it get you too down. Just in case this is a hostile city. I don't understand why they were being so hostile though, you'd think it was back down to the war again."

An hour later, they spotted Terim.

"Fly low, and drop me off at the bottom of that cliff, then go up there and hide." Kate instructed.

With a growl, Amethrysta complied. _"Only because of the soldiers. Hide the gedwey insignia."_

Kate watched her dragon soar up before continuing into the city.

She had changed from her rider apprentice clothing and was wearing a hooded cloak with long leggings, a long sleeve shirt, and gloves to cover her gedwey insignia, and her precautions were needed.

"You, state your name and business!" Snarled a bulky man in an empire uniform.

"I am meeting up with some people to discuss trade routes to Narda. My father will join me soon, but he had to take down camp." She said, in her best impression of a Narda accent.

"Go in, and before you do, have you seen a rider on a purple dragon? They were last spotted over Narda flying in this direction."

"No, I don't believe they came this way."

"Good. If you do come across them, tell them they are no longer allowed outside Vrogengard, as the surrounding areas are claimed by her majesty."

"_Amethrysta, we have a problem. See through my eyes once we're in."_ Kate spoke over the mental link.

She passed and her eyes turned lavender gold as she walked to the message board.

There were wanted posters for her and Amethrysta, and notifications that her majesty, the storm rider, was now queen?

"_Woah, didn't see that one coming. Did the whole of Alagesia get conquered in a day while we were gone?" Amethrysta gasped._

"_It must have been a plot by the rebels. They waited until the dragon wing was destroyed before launching their attacks on the areas around the spine, meaning New Carvahall, Terim, Narda, and Kusta." _Kate said, walking away.

She read the notification on the law board.

"_Drat! Bigger problems! I can't leave for a week! They'll be waiting for someone to come in after me, and I can't produce illusions! If I can't get out, you'll have to fly in and get me." _Kate barely contained her swearing.

She walked towards the docks, looking for an escape route over water.

_I have to avoid drawing attention to myself as much as possible, and if I climbed around the bottom of the docks until I get around the gate…_

"You won't get out that easy, believe me, I've tried."

She spun about and stared in astonishment, for standing before her was the infamous Murtagh!

"What are you doing here?" She hissed.

"We can't talk here. Follow me." He growled, and they walked over to Angela the herbalist's shop.

Angela was sitting outside, trying to revive her pet toad.

"Ah, you're back! Who's she?" She asked.

They noticed Elva sitting next to her.

"She's, in a predicament, like me." He informed her.

Her face darkened. "Well, come inside."

Everyone followed.

"What are you doing here?" Murtagh asked.

"I'm following 'Her Majesty'. She and her storm cloud of a dragon kidnapped Eragon, destroyed the Dragon wing, and trapped Saphira!" She raged.

That got their attention.

"Where's your dragon?" asked Elva curiously.

"Amethrysta? She's on the cliff top, waiting for me to give the signal to come get me if I can't get out on my own."

"Well, tell her not to attack Thorn." Elva said.

The two riders exchanged looks before Murtagh grabbed his leg and Kate felt as if her arm was on fire.

"_Amethrysta! Don't attack Thorn!"_ Kate howled over the mental link as Murtagh called, _"Thorn Quit it! She's not an enemy!" _

"That will have caused a lot of attention. You two need to get to the docks and call your dragons!" Growled Angela.

Kate was out first, taking large strides to the dock, stopping to pretend to admire the goods from street vendors and bought an apple to blend in.

She arrived at the dock before Murtagh, who was being harried by every street vendor and sales person on the street.

"Listen, I think you have a great business going, but I'm kind of in a hurry!" He growled impatiently, shoving past them.

"_Okay Amethrysta, Come down. I'm on the farthest western pier at the northernmost point. If you can't see me, I'll send up a flare."_

Murtagh paused, relaying the message to his red dragon.

There were two roars, signaling the approach of two dragons.

Thorn was massive, being as big as the largest fishing boat there.

Amethrysta was pathetic in size compared to him, but not in beauty. She shone like a beautiful amethyst as Thorn looked like a giant red cloud.

Soldiers shouted and archers fired, but the arrows all missed due to the fear in their ranks.

"Brisingr!" Kate shouted, sending a flare up. Seeing it, the dragons dove and landed, riders mounting as soldiers desperately tried to catch them in a chain linked rope, which was easily evaded by Amethrysta, unlike Thorn, who simply dragged it behind his tail.

Murtagh cast a spell and it crumbled, falling in metal confetti on the people of Terim as they escaped.

"So did the stormy rider pass through here?" Asked Kate.

"Yeah, I heard them saying something about the ruins of Hellgrind." Murtagh replied.

"Then To Hellgring it is. Lucky us." Kate said unenthusiastically as the dragons headed back over to the spine.

**Eragon's pov**

Eragon woke up with a groan. His head was throbbing, his arms and legs were bound in chains made of that crystal that stops magic, and there was a gag in his mouth.

As far as he could tell by his sight and smell, he was in the ruins of Hellgrind, wearing only his leggings. This was starting to get to familiar.

There was a low rasp next to him and he jerked his head over to look.

There was a lizard next to him.

Eragon sighed with relief. He had been expecting a ra-zac egg. That roused a question.

_Who are my captives?_

He pondered the question over and over in his head. The Ra-zac would've eaten him, a shade would've made themselves clear. The rebels couldn't have invaded Dras Leona, could they have?

The only sound was the dripping on moisture onto the floor. There was a dead body in front of him, skeletal jaws still parted in an anguished scream.

He shivered. Partly from fear , revulsion, and from the cold. He did remember brief trips of the journey there. He remembered seeing Murtagh in Terim, and the fighting over the ocean. The impact of the water had knocked him unconscious again.

There was a gurgling laugh.

"I hear your thoughts boy! I have tried escaping and failed! Her Majesty will not let you leave unless you pledge yourself to her and Shruikan in the ancient language! There is no escape! There is no…"

Eragon stared in horror at another man in the cell. He had blood gushing from his mouth and there were obvious signs of torture.

There was a clang as the cell door opened.

"It seems our honored guest has arrived. Shall we begin?"

**The rescue party**

They had to stop over the spine, and no matter how much None of them wanted to, they had no choice.

"I can't believe we're stopping! After what happened the last time. Eragon is in danger, if he's still alive." Growled Kate.

"I don't like it any more than you, but your dragon isn't ready to go on long term flights without food. She can hunt and rest." Murtagh said.

"_And while we're hunting, you two can practice with swords. Kathrine has only been a rider for a month, and only a day of that has included training."_ Thorn rumled.

"I go by Kate." Kate growled.

The red dragon didn't care, though. He just took off in search of prey.

"I'm guessing Eragon went over some of the basics with you." Murtagh said.

Kate nodded.

"I broke my sword on Stormfire when Amethrysta and I intercepted them over the ocean on our way here." Kate said.

"Then that dragon has harder scales than ours. I saw it, and Stormfire doesn't have fire, she has lightning. It's such a cloud of electricity it looks like fire. I've never seen anything like him. Use this." Murtagh tossed her a stick, which she caught. He traded Zar-roc out for one to.

"Okay, I'm not going easy on you." He informed her.

They circled each other for a moment before Murtagh attacked with a flurry of blows that Kate struggled to block and parry. He hit her four times, hard. There were going to be four bruises on her in the morning.

She retaliated, dodging under his stick and truing to whack his side, and he blocked. She started using acrobatic moves, until she had an Idea.

She let him think he had an opening to stab at her exposed stomach, and he took it.

To his surprise, she jumped, landing on his arm and propelling herself onto his shoulders, getting a piggy-back ride while whacking him repeatedly in the head.

He threw her off, a red welt appearing on his face.

She attached first this time, focusing on evading his strikes and attacking when he became vulnerable.

The tactic worked, though she got several bruises doing it. But he got more.

They finally stopped, Kate panting, and Murtagh putting cold water on his face where a bruise had formed.

The dragons returned.

Thorn looked back and forth between them. _"I don't want to know."_

He stated.

Amethrysta was dragging an elk. _"Woah, I didn't expect that one. Did you two get into a fight? I can disembowel him for you." _Amethrysta said.

"_NO! We were sparring with twigs!" _Kate yelped.

There was a loud rustle in the underbrush. Everyone stiffened.

Kate picked up a sharp rock and Murtagh drew his sword.

Amethrysta stiffened and slid towards the sound while Thorn growled and slid to the place of the disturbance like a cat.A Ra-zac threw itself out of the underbrush with a scream riding a lethrblaka.

Thorn blew fire at them to find in dismay that they had wards. Amethrysta didn't have the advantage of fire yet, so she knocked the Ra-zac off of the lethrblaka and attacked it.

Then the forest exploded with noise. Birds shriked, rabbits fled, and even more Ra-zac and lethrblaka attacked from all sides.

Murtagh drew a steel knife from its sheath and gave it To Kate, who instantly plunged it into the heart of a ra-zac that got too close.

Murtagh helped Thorn take out a Lethrlaka and its rider. They were hopelessly outnumbered, and after a minute of this the riders were subdued.

If they had rescued Eragon and he had helped, they would have lasted another twenty seconds.

It was that sad.

Amethrysta was snarling at them between points where she was fighting the chains that bound her and Thorn, who they had knocked unconscious.

Kate and Murtagh continuously insulted and fought and yelled at their captors. All it got them was a lot of being hit and having hair pulled out and being slapped with the backs of swords.

For twenty minutes they went on like this, being bruised and battered and in chains. That's when a miracle happened.

Four roars sent tremors through the air. The ra-zac mounted and took off but were obscured by four separate jets of flame.

Three pairs of eyes looked up to see Saphira, Firnen, Arya, Jackal, Zangor, Lekan, and Gar coming to the rescue.

Saphira had had a growth spurt obviously. She was two feet larger than Thorn and caused an earthquake when she landed.

"_Have you found Eragon?" _Saphira's voice boomed through their minds.

"No Saphira, but we know he's being held captive at hellgrind." Murtagh answered.

Arya dismounted Firnen who ran up to greet his mate.

"Murtagh, why are you here?" Arya asked coldly, her rider's sword drawn.

"He's helping us find Eragon. What are you doing here? Last thing I heard was you ducked out on Eragon and refused to even speak with another rider?" Snarled Kate.

Arya flinched, looking as if she'd been struck.

"That aside, can you get us out?" Asked Murtagh.

Gar woke up Thorn.

Thorn yawned, snapping the chains as if they were pieces of thread. He freed Amethrysta, and they went over to help their riders, but Arya stopped them.

"What… Are you just going to leave us like this?" Asked Murtagh.

"Cut us loose! Eragon can't wait any longer!" Added Kate. Jackal growled and leapt over Arya, cutting them loose with a steel sword.

"Arya, what's wrong?" Gar questioned.

"Come on Firnen, we're leaving." She growled.

"_No, I refuse to let you leave until we have freed Eragon. This seclusion is unhealthy for both of us and I will make you stay if I have to." _Firnen argued.

All of the riders had already mounted while Arya gave her dragon a cold stare. They were having a private conversation.

"Fine then! But as soon as this is over we're returning to Elesmera!" Arya snapped.

The rest of the riders exchanged looks. What had happened to Arya while she was away?

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go save a rider!" Kate called.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4, Highway to Hell (grind)

The dragons soared across the sky, the thunder covering the spine in the quickest pace possible for them.

The spine rushed by, as they crossed the mountains, again, they were more alert for signs of the Ra-zac hordes.

Arya still refused to look or speak with them, and not even Firnen would reveal why, only that it had to do with her responsibilities as queen and something Eragon said.

Saphira was in the lead. She was huge, fast, and strong, and no dragon could match her prowess.

Thorn and Murtagh were closest to her with Amethrysta and Kate struggling to keep their place next to them.

Firnen and Saphira were having a conversation while Gar and Jackal hung in back. Their dragons struggling to keep their pace at all.

"_Never have I flown this far for so long before." _Huffed Zangor.

"_What's wrong Zangor? Getting sleepy?" _Challenged Lekan, who put on a burst of speed, catching up to Arya and Firnen.

"So, what do we do after this? I mean after saving Eragon. I know it's a little early, but I like to think ahead."Kate asked.

"We hunt down that storm creature and the demon child that rides it. What else?" Murtagh shouted back.

"Before you do that you'll need a rider's sword, Kate. So will those two clowns. Elesmera sounds like a good Idea." Arya spoke for the first time that day.

"What good is a sword if I don't know how to use it?" Asked Kate.

"You could learn there." She added.

"You really want to go back to Elesmera don't you?" Gar called.

"Hey, I think we lost Jackal and Zangor." Murtagh said, looking behind them.

They were a long ways behind them and losing altitude fast.

"_If we don't stop Zangor could lose the ability to fly from exhaustion." _Saphira said. They were just at the river next to Leona lake!

"_How can we stop now? Dras Leona is right there!" _Thorn complained.

"_We have to keep going! Saphira, the sooner we save Eragon the sooner he can rest!" _Amethrysta growled.

"Firnen and I will stay with Jackal and Zangor so that they can rest. Wait for us at Dras Leona." Arya said.

Firnen slowed down and dropped rapidly, and Zangor followed.

The rest continued onwards.

They flew in silence for a few moments.

They could see Dras Leona.

"There it is!" Shouted Gar, "Let's go bust some heads!"

He and Lekan shot forwards and ahead of everyone.

Not about to be outdone by a hatchling, Saphira put on a huge burst of speed and tore ahead of them.

Thorn growled and sped up. Amethrysta shot after them.

"_Haven't you thought about the fact that if we can se Dras Leona that they can see us? We need to fly lower!" _Amethrysta called.

The others sent their acknowledgements and they dove, using the forest to mask their approach. It worked until Thorn hit a tree and made the domino effect.

"Let's go over the lake. There's plenty of cover over there." Called Murtagh.

They headed over, scaring the living daylights out of a fisherman.

They found Murtagh was right. There were a lot of trees and hills to mask their approach, so they continued on foot.

There it was, the not so beautiful city of Dras Leona.

**Eragon's pov**

Eragon leaned against the wall, subdued. He refused to break. He refused to swear himself to Shruikan. No matter how much they tortured him.

His body burned like fire, and every day the nagging voice in the back of his head telling him to submit and get it over with grew louder and louder.

They'd made him watch Kate and Murtagh and Thorn and Amethrysta get captured, told him they'd be on their way here to share his fate.

Eragon was starving. He hadn't eaten in three days and only got water on rare intervals in order to make him weak. It was working.

He was bone skinny and couldn't even stand up without help.

The cell door opened and he was filled with a sense of dread. "Want to have some more fun rider?" A cold voice cackled.

Eragon opened his eyes to see the evil man who had been his torturer for the past three days. His chains to the wall were undone and he was dragged down the hall, the rough floor cutting his skin.

He was strapped onto a table. A scrying mirror was brought in by one of the servants and Shruikan's Eldunari was speaking through the other side.

His mental voice became verbal over the mirror.

"You will swear your fealty to me rider, then, and only then, will the pain stop. I am growing impatient with you, Eragon."

"Hah! Bite me! I'll never swear myself to a rock!" He said sarcastically.

"Just what I was thinking." A raspy voice growled. A Ra-zac entered the room.

Eragon closed his eyes and braced himself, but he wasn't ready for it.

There was a horrible tearing noise and a searing pain in his right arm. He howled in pain as the Ra-zac pecked a piece of his arm off and ate it.

"This seems like a good solution for our problems with you being stubborn." The torturer said.

Eragon's every hope of resisting vanished. If this continued much longer, he would break. That, he knew.

**Dras-leona**

"Remind me again why we didn't just storm Hellgrind? It would have been faster." Growled Kate.

"Because there is an indirect route from the cathedral to Hellgrind. It would be much easier to go this way." Muttered Murtagh.

"But the fun of the hunt is still gone." Pouted Gar.

They were in disguise as travelers, walking down the road.

"Okay, we'll split up here and meet at the cathedral. Mental link up?" Murtagh asked.

"_The link is ready. I'll split off here." _Kate set off down a side street.

Murtagh felt a strange unease at letting her leave. He felt almost responsible for what happened to her.

"_Meet you there." _Murtagh said.

"_You know, Murtagh, if you feel responsible for what happens to her, you should train her. She needs a proper mentor, that much is clear. You seem to be a great team, you even think alike." _Gar Commented.

"_That's Eragon's job. Besides, what could I teach her? To use my bad temper?" _Murtagh scoffed inwardly.

"_No, she already has that." _Gar joked.

"_You do realize I can hear you, right?" _Kate commented.

They shut up.

Murtagh walked down the street and was shoved into an alley by another man. He gripped the pommel of his sword in warning as the man drew a knife.

Murtagh made sure no one was watching and drew Zar-roc.

"You!" Gasped the man, turning to run.

"Me." Replied Murtagh, stabbing him. He deposited the body and cleaned the blood with magic.

"_Not that I don't like a good hunt, but was killing him the best way to solve the problem?" _Gar asked.

"_As far as I can see it." _Murtagh replied.

"_He was a threat. There was no other option. Plus, how many innocent people do you think he's used that knife on? It was still bloody! He had it coming." _Added Kate.

Murtagh sheathed Zar-roc and headed back onto the main street.

He met up with Kate at the entryway.

"Run into any trouble?" He asked.

"You'd have known if I did, I still don't have a sword." She replied.

Gar strode into the cathedral. They followed.

Murtagh led the two of them into a passageway in the back.

"In here. Don't step on the disks inside and make as little noise as possible." He instructed.

They slid inside the cold tunnel.

They were all faster than your average human soldier, so they made it to the first junction relatively quickly.

Gar extended his consciousness, searching for the way through the maze.

"This way." He murmured.

They darted as fast as they dared as Gar led them through the passages, making more noise than they would have liked.

Soon they came to yet another junction.

"Which way now?" Asked Kate.

Gar searched, and found the right path. He brushed against the consciences of dying people and some that were decaying and broken. He shuddered and motioned for them to follow.

They went down a staircase and slid into a more oily tunnel.

There was a door, and they slid through, entering the confines of Hellgrind.

**Eragon**

Eragon was shaking. He didn't know if he could take this any longer. The skin and muscle on his right arm had been torn away, healed, and torn away five times. They did nothing to stop the pain.

Frusterated, the Ra-zac decided to work on his other arm.

"Now Eragon, you're obviously in pain, and suffering, and I can sense your fear. Why not stop it? All you have to do is pledge yourself, and you will be cleansed for killing my rider and destroying my body and we can replenish the empire."

"I'd rather die a thousand horrible deaths!" Snarled Eragon. There wasn't much defiance left in him, and it showed.

The ra-zac started eating. Eragon howled and thrashed as every wound the ra-zac made was filled with salt water.

He didn't hear the door open down the hall, but a guard screamed outside the chamber and the sound of a weapon hitting the ground alerted the beasts that were torturing him.

The ra-zac stopped and Eragon felt the wounds close. He took several shaky breaths and waited for the Eldunari to ask again, afraid he wouldn't be able to deny much more.

The door banged open and Eragon dared open his eyes.

His captors were slain and the scrying mirror shattered.

The last thing he saw before blacking out was Murtagh, Kate, and Gar staring down at him in concern as they untied him


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4, Splitting up

Eragon groaned when he woke up.

"_Little one?" _Saphira nosed him.

"Ugh, Saphira?" Eragon sat up and opened his eyes.

In front of him was every rider and dragon in Alagaesia.

"I was beginning to think he'd never wake up." Commented Murtagh.

"Where am I?" He asked.

"Outside of Dras Leona, waiting for Arya and Gar to catch up. How're you feeling? I tried that healing spell." Kate asked.

"I feel better. It beats a Ra-zac eating me." Eragon groaned, standing.

His armor and regular cloths were thrown at him.

"Go change then, that outfit is just… not for being in the open."Gar said.

Eragon looked down and realized they'd left him in what he'd been wearing in hellgrind. He walked away to change.

Saphira looked nervous. _"I can't stand to leave him alone again. Not after what those monsters did to him. I saw his memories. I saw what he endured. It was not something I'd wish on anyone, and I felt how dangerously close he was to breaking when we found him."_

"Gar, how did you learn to navigate tunnels like that?" Murtagh asked.

"We Urgala are of the hunt, and I used my mind and instincts to guide me, I guess." Gar replied.

"Well, we know what your specialty is now." Kate said, "Search and rescue."

Different riders had different specialties.

"I think you are definitely warrior material, Kate. You and Amethrysta fought that dragon across the entire way back when nobody else could even make the flight without flying. We had to use Eldunari." Gar said.

"You used eldunari! Cheater!" She laughed.

Lekan had developed a sudden interest in his claws.

Murtagh laughed.

Eragon came back fully clothed.

"You used Eldunari to get across! What happened to them?" Eragon exclaimed.

"Saphira flew them back to Vrogengard." Gar said.

"_And I did it in an hour there and back. New speed record." _Saphira grinned mentally.

There was a loud Thud.

"And that would be Firnen Arya Zangor and Jackal. What did you say to Arya to make her so mad?" Asked Gar. "Firnen won't tell us anything, and neither will Arya. She's hardly said anything to us this whole time!"

"I asked her to stay at Doru Areaba with us, and she's queen of the elves. She got mad and is refusing to speak with me. I'm surprised she agreed to help." Eragon said sorrowfully.

"She almost didn't. Firnen made her agree." Murtagh said.

Firnen and Zangor landed and their riders dismounted.

"We figured out why Zangor was slower than usual. He had a poison dart stuck in his foot. It was enough to kill a human, but to a dragon, it's a tranquilizer." Jackal said.

"Good thing you got that out." Eragon said.

"Hey! They got you out! Might I ask you how you did it without my expert help?" Jackal asked.

"Gar found him. He also broke your record on path finding."Kate smiled.

"Aww, come on!"

"The hunt brings the best out of people."

"Eragon." Arya said tersely.

"Arya! I…" He trailed off glumly as Arya got on Firnen.

"We agreed to come along until you were rescued. Now it's my duty to return to Elesmera. Jackal and Zangor wanted to come with us, if you agree." Arya said.

"_It'll be good for them Eragon. You can't disagree with the fact that Arya has become, withdrawn. That and Jackal and Zangor need mentors, and the best thing you've done to train them is setting off the sequence of events by getting captured. It will also be good for you." _Firnen told him.

Jackal and Zangor looked at him with pleading eyes.

Eragon sighed. "Go ahead."

Before he said another word, they had mounted up and taken off, following Arya and Firnen.

"Well, at least he can learn how to behave now." Kate said.

"That was rude." Eragon commented.

"He is a spaz. So my comment was rude. Rude, but sadly true." Kate said.

Gar laughed.

"So, does anyone have a game plan here? Because I have no idea what to do now." Gar said.

"We could head down to Surda to see if it still exists." Murtagh suggested. "That or farthen-dur. There has to be a resistance somewhere."

"Well, I think we should go to Ilirea. Nasueda's forces might still be standing there." Kate said.

"I think we should head back up the spine. We could be near Du weldenvarden and check on the people of New Carvahall. If there's a resistance, it's going to be there." Eragon said.

"Well I don't care what you think I'm going to Ilirea. Nasueda's forces will most definitely be stronger there, and there's a bigger chance that it hasn't been taken yet. If the capital is taken, we lose. It's simple as that. Anyone who wants to come with me can, but you better makeup your minds soon because I'm going now."

Kate leapt onto Amethrysta and they took off.

"I'll follow her, she's a trouble magnet." Murtagh and thorn left behind them.

"Well, what's your opinion?" Eragon asked the urgal boy and his dragon.

"_I say we go to New Carvahall, as you suggested. The people there are strong warriors, and if we help them they may help us in return. We could have a resistance in moments of our arrival"_ Lekan said.

"We'll follow you then. But first, does Saphira have anything to say about this?" Asked Gar.

"_I agree. If we leave them the consequences could be severe. Get on Eragon, we're going to New Carvahall." _Saphira said while abandoning a moose carcass she'd been eating.

The riders got on their dragons and flew away, more than glad to leave Hellgrind behind them.

**Arya and Jackal + dragons**

Arya stared at the black sky dotted with stars. She hated leaving Eragon behind more than she was willing to admit. Speaking to him made her want to stay with him forever.

But her duties are as a queen of her people and a rider. No more, no less. Being with Eragon was just a distraction. She felt nothing for him, right?

She shook off the thought.

"_I know you, Arya. That was a real emotion you felt. Don't tuck it away. You can't dodge Eragon for the rest of eternity as you two might live that long. Maybe you should start by opening up to your new apprentice." _Firnen told her.

"_Firnen, I have a responsibility. As long as I am queen of the Elves, I cannot go around looking for a love life. I will train Jackal. You make sure you train Zangor, and all should be well."_

Firnen snorted. _"So you love him. I suspected as much."_

"_NO! He has been chasing me for a very long time, and I…"_

"_You shared your true name with him! He told you his! He is willing to tell you such things after what he went through! Weather you know it or not, you bound yourself to him as I did Saphira. Of course you changed your true name, so he doesn't know you anymore. He sees who you were because of all the trouble you went through to change yourself."_

"_This conversation is over Firnen. We have more important things to do."_

Arya shut her dragon from her mind.

Why did Firnen have to see through her so easily?

"So, whatever happened that made you hate Eragon so much?" Jackal asked, "I thought you were friends with him."

Arya was stung.

"_Is that really the impression I'm sending around? Do they really think that?"_

"_Yes, that's exactly what they're seeing. It's what I would have seen. Tell him the truth."_

"He asked me to go to Doru Araeba with him and stay. I have duties here, and they have to come before what Eragon wants. I thought it best to distance myself from him and as a result he yelled at me. I got mad and decided that I should stop communing with you because I only become infuriated." Arya told Jackal.

"What kind of solution is that? Me and Gar have arguments all the time and ending our friendship is never the answer. We work around it. Surely you and Firnen argue like that! Oh, Zangor wants me to say that he agrees with me, and that you should try to get more social."

"If that hadn't been Zangor I would have had Firnen eat you."

"_Not that I would have complied."_

"Well thanks for the support."

**Kate Murtagh + Dragons**

Kate held out the map of Alagaesia she'd "borrowed" in Dras Leona.

"It shouldn't be along flight. Just one day." Kate said, rolling the map back up and putting it in her saddlebag.

"I didn't know you like to steal things." Murtagh said, coming up next to her and Amethrysta on Thorn.

"Only a day away for Amethrysta and I. You could get there in a matter of hours." Kate told him.

"I told Eragon that Thorn and I would stick with you to make sure you stay out of trouble." Murtagh said.

"_Because you're so good at that." _Amethrysta said.

"Fine, I'm not good at it. Just play along until we find you a good sword." Murtagh said.

"I'd need a rider's sword. So that means you volunteered for…"

"_Until we make it to Du Weldenvarden." _Thorn said.

"How do you think Eragon and Gar are doing? Oh, look, we're going faster than I thought! There's the halfway mark up ahead!" Kate laughed.

"_Think I can get us there faster?" _Amethrysta grinned.

"_Let's go!" _Was Kate's reply.

With a sudden burst of speed, Amethrysta overtook Thorn and shot ever closer to the Ramr River.

**Eragon Gar and Dragons**

"_Have you ever wondered why Eragon really wants to go to New Carvahall?" _Lekan asked.

"_Yeah, to make sure Roran Katrina and Ismira are okay." _Gar replied.

"_Oh. Why is he worried about them?" _

"_Because Roran Stronghammer is his cousin. Ismira is his niece and Katrina is his sister in-law."_ Gar smiled _"I agreed so after we fight we can get me a rider's sword. I want a nice curved blade." _

"_So you do have personal gain! Let's just go then! Phew, I thought you were going soft on me, partner of my heart and soul." _Lekan sniffed the air.

"So how long should it take to reach New Carvahall?" Gar asked.

"Um, about eight days if we hurry." Eragon replied.

"Okay, I'm translating that to two weeks. I'm not sure if you noticed but Lekan isn't exactly aerodynamic and light. It's harder for him to stay in the air for a full day." Gar said.

"_Well said Gar, now I'm the fat dragon."_

"_That's not what I meant by that at all!"_

"_Oh well. Hey look, sun's up! Crazed out of control…"_

"_Not today Lekan. We need to focus."_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6, On the Front lines

Murtagh, Thorn, Katharine, Amethrysta

They reached Ilirea at sunrise that day.

"That was a shorter flight than I thought." Kate said.

"_You try flying, and it takes much longer." _Amethrysta commented.

"I can't believe how far behind we left Murtagh and Thorn. Maybe we should wait for them."

Amethrysta looked back. The two were about two miles behind, but coming fast.

Amethrysta slowed to a stop and hovered while the two waited for the larger, less aerodynamic dragon and his rider, to catch up.

After ten minutes, they caught up.

"Hey, don't get tired, I can see the city, and I was right, Nasueda's forces are putting up a fight. Ready to go in?" Asked Kate.

"More than ever. I'll do anything to stop the empire from rising again." Murtagh said.

"_We will stop Galbatorix and Shruikan. Even through death they continue to hinder us." _Thorn agreed.

The four shot forwards. Amethrysta found herself being pushed back by the downdraft from Thorn's wings.

The large dragon was right in front of the small one and they flew like that to the battle.

"The Varden's troops are in blue and Galbatorix's forces are in red. Target the red ones." Kate said.

Thorn and Amethrysta acknowledged with short growls.

"First we need to talk to Nasueda." Murtagh argued.

"Well first we should help them fight." And with that, the smaller dragon and her rider shot down into battle, the borrowed sword from Dras Leona in Kate's hand.

Rolling his eyes, Murtagh told Thorn to follow.

Amethrysta started tearing through enemy troops the instant she got close enough to the ground to claw them and touched down this way.

Kate killed enemies left and right, brown hair flying behind her, looking like an angel of death, as she blurred through the ranks.

Every once in a while you could hear a raised voice shout something and something would explode.

Thorn bathed his enemies in a jet of ruby flame as he soared over their ranks. The soldiers screamed in terror as they realized that they were being attacked from behind by dragons and their riders. None of them could land a blow.

A lot of them attempted to retreat, and got cooked in the armor that was supposed to protect them.

When the Varden realized how the tide had turned, they cheered.

Her majesty's soldiers however, groaned and wailed in misery.

Amethrysta leapt over the bulk of a catapult, tearing it apart in the process before going back to eating people.

The leading figure of her majesty's army called a retreat.

The forces ran, and most of them died while doing so.

When the Varden and Dragons were satisfied that the forces had been sufficiently slaughtered, they returned into the walls of Ilirea.

The riders mounted their dragons again and they took off, flying over the walls and entering Ilirea.

"What? Murtagh! You have the gal to return here after what you did!" Jormundur howled.

It was a hour after their arrival, and the four were standing in the throne room.

"Listen we all know what Murtagh did. If it wasn't for him, Galbatorix would have never died. Yes, he had been an enemy, but not of his free will. So let bygones be bygones already and accept that we're trying to help you!" Kate said impatiently.

"Did I ask for your opinion little girl?" He shouted.

"No, but I gave it anyway. And I'm not just some little girl, I'm a rider." Kate said.

"What was Eragon thinking when he chose to train you as a rider?" He growled.

"Where Nasueda already, this conversation is getting boring. Look, the dragons are asleep." Murtagh said.

There was a clang as the doors swung open.

"I'm right here. Hello Murtagh, Thorn. Who would these two be?" Asked Nasueda.

"These two would be Kathrine Arriansdaughter and Amethrysta Bjartskular. A new voice said.

"Yelloweyes! You always do know how to make an appearance." Nasueda said.

"Well they really are here to help us fight off the empire, so why don't we let them? Plus, they'd help anyway. These are dragons and riders here, and Eragon may have sworn fealty to you, but these two haven't. So don't expect them to listen to you." Yelloweyes smirked. She turned into her animal form and trotted away.

"So, I'm guessing you're the new rider we had the dragon queen ferry out, Kathrine." Nasueda said.

"I like to go by Kate, and yes. I'm sorry, but the dragon queen is at the bottom of the ocean right now."

"You destroyed it!" Nasueda gasped. "That was my prized ship!"

"I didn't destroy it! There's a sea serpent down there. One of its spikes cut the ship in half." Kate said defensively. "Okay we didn't come to argue, we came to help you defend Ilirea."

Amethrysta yawned and woke up.

"_Finally, I thought we'd never get to the point. Shall we continue?"_

"Any help is acceptable. We were also offered help from the urgals. A lot of their cities were destroyed." She said.

"They used the sea serpent to signal the attack, and it was stronger on the port cities. They were deliberately trying to cut off Vrovengard so we couldn't come back. Didn't they do a marvelous job at that?" Murtagh said.

Thorn snorted out smoke as he opened his eyes.

"_Their queen serves the Eldunari of Shruikan, who relays the word of Galbatorix himself." _Thorn added.

"How would you know so much?" Asked Jormundur, drawing his sword.

"Because they captured Eragon and took him to the not-so-deserted ruins of Hellgrind. We were just there rescuing him and saw it ourselves." Kate said.

"Can we be certain?" Asked Nasueda.

"Go ask Eragon. I gave him my scrying mirror. Though, I doubt he'd like to talk about being tortured in Hellgrind." Murtagh said.

"True enough. You always seem to be saving people from torture Murtagh. Was there anyone else I could ask?" Nasueda asked.

"_Um, Shruikan, the Ra-zac corpses, That monster creature feeding off his suffering which we also killed, by the way. You could also ask Gar. He's the first urgal rider in history." _Amethrysta said.

"Okay, it sounds like you did a lot of killing thinks down there. Why didn't you invite me?" Asked Yelloweyes in her human form.

"_We didn't know who you are at the time. Now that we do, if there's any massive bloodshed somewhere, I will personally send you a telepathic message." _Thorn said sarcastically.

"More to the original point," Kate turned back the discussion.

"Right. So how can you 'help' the Varden?" Asked Jormundur, "By having your dragons eat all our food, kill our soldiers?"

"No, our dragons can hunt for themselves. And the only people they'd kill are the empire's forces." Murtagh said exasperatedly.

He better not have used quotation marks around help because we're being honest.

"_You know what, I think we can kill empire soldiers on our own accord. Come on Guys, this is getting ridiculous." _Amethrysta said.

Kate hopped on her dragon's back and the two flew off into the crisp morning air.

There were a lot of soldiers on the southern side of the city wall, so the dragon and rider soared in that direction.

As they flew over the wall, Amethrysta let out a roar.

Troops cheered while the invaders groaned.

The two liked the impact they had on the battle.

Amethrysta took out one of the ladders with troops marching up it.

The invaders howled in terror as the ground came rushing up at them.

Kate knew only two spells, Brsingr and a basic healing spell, so she put them to good use.

A catapult came into view.

"Amethrysta get in close to that catapult!" She shouted.

They dove.

When they were a few feet away, Kate let out a cry of "Brisingr!"

The mechanical monster exploded.

She hardly felt drained; even though that was the first or second time she'd ever attempted to destroy something that large before.

There was a roar as Thorn and Murtagh joined the conflict. Thorn blew a jet of ruby red flame into the enemy's ranks.

Amethrysta was being eaten by jealousy.

"_If I could do that, we would have never been captured by the Ra-zac." _She growled.

"Well, we can make up for it by taking out that group over there. Land and tear them apart with your teeth and claws, may none stand in your way my friend." Kate smiled.

Amethrysta dove, roaring. The soldiers cringed and fled, but they didn't get far. Kate took them from one side and Amethrysta took them from the other, and they worked their way through the ranks, slaughtering the virtually untrained soldiers.

They finished, and Amethrysta looked dissatisfied by the mound of bodies that littered the ground around her.

"_Come, I long for more blood, and there are plenty of men trying to climb those cursed ladders into the city."_

"That was very dark, but okay." Kate mounted her bloodthirsty dragon and they shot into the air.

They saw Thorn's third group of soldiers getting char-broiled and Amethrysta blew smoke from her nostrils.

The first ladder was taken off the wall with ease, as were the second and the third.

Then the enemy archers caught on and shot their arrows at them.

The magic flowed into her and the words flew off her lips.

"Ganga aptr!" Kate shouted.

The arrows stopped in mid flight, turned around, and hit the archers.

The drain was large, but not specifically bad.

The rest of the wall climbing devices were destroyed, and Amethrysta roared in victory.

There was a cry from the man on the wall next to them.

"Watch out!"

They turned just in time to see a large claw like thing flying at them.

"Ganga apt… aaaaaaa!" Kate cut the string of magic as Amethrysta threw her rider off her back and onto the wall as the claw grabbed the dragon and dragged her through the ranks of cheering enemy soldiers.

"_Thorn! Help Amethrysta!"_

Kate's cry was interrupted by a second furious roar. Another grappling claw had Thorn and Murtagh was down at the bottom of the wall.

"Kate jump!" He shouted.

Trusting him, she leapt, and he caught her with a spell and set her down.

"We have to help them!" Yelled Murtagh.

Drawing their swords, the riders charged through enemy ranks, killing everyone in their path as they charged to their dragons' aid.

"Brisingr!" Cried Kate as she spotted a catapult.

BOOM!

The machine was destroyed.

Kate suffered a scratch over her eye. It wasn't major, but it hindered her vision when the blood dripped into her left eye.

Taking advantage of her weakness, the soldiers gave her a nice sized gash on her left arm and she got hit by a shield on the left side.

She staggered, and was shoved again.

They managed to keep her off balance until a spell caster arrived and started shouting in the ancient language, no doubt trying to find a loophole in the wards she had around her. The soldiers paused long enough to let her put a sword through the spell caster's heart. Then she took the opening to kill all of the soldiers that had boxed her in.

She heard a roar from Amethrysta and used a healing spell to seal the wound above her eyebrow and wipe blood from her face.

They had Amethrysta bound.

Thorn was in no better shape.

She charged forwards, sword ready to stab and kill.

"_Let the blood of all those who have done this stain the battlefield forevermore as I kill these fiends!" _ Kate hadn't realized she'd said it over the mental link until she felt approval from Amethrysta.

She plunged her sword into the chest of a soldier, and he fell. She found a spell caster and engaged him, shouting a healing spell at him for reasons unknown until he stopped, smiling stupidly, while she beheaded him.

Thorn's eyes widened. He had heard of the black hand of Morzan using spells such as these. It was said to be a very deadly technique that had died along with Selena.

Suddenly all three noticed the absence of Murtagh.

Kate cut the dragons free and searched with her mind until she found him in mental combat with about ten spell casters while fighting soldiers.

Kate joined the mental fray, making one spell caster kill his allies before making him stab himself through the gut.

It was horrible to feel that. The pain had been intense, and she had felt the flame of his mind extinguished.

She didn't pity him though, he would've done that to any of them given the chance.

Murtagh finished the soldiers off and saw the three coming.

He was panting and had suffered a deep wound in his stomach. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious from blood loss.

"I don't think I can heal that, I don't know the spell." Kate said, looking sick.

"Thorn, help me. You need to pick him up gently and carry him to a healer in Ilirea." She instructed.

Thorn nodded and Kate and Amethrysta either intercepted of sent away any weapon thrown or launched at Murtagh by soldiers who wanted to be known as riderkiller. Not happening.

Thorn set Murtagh gently on a table in front of a group of startled spell casters.

Amethrysta landed and Kate dismounted.

Thorn shuffled anxiously, staring at the unconscious body of his rider.

"I can only heal flesh wounds. He needs your help!" Kate said.

Murtagh groaned, waking up and trying to sit up, up yelled in pain as a spray of blood surged from the wound.

He fell back down, teeth clenched and groaning, eyes squeezed shut, fists clenched.

The healers got out of their trance and hurried to clean the wound.

"How did this happen?" One asked.

"An entire horde of spell casters attacked his mind at the same time while just about a hundred soldiers attacked him. One of them landed a lucky shot." Kate grimaced.

Thorn roared in worry.

Murtagh hissed as the chemicals were poured into the wound.

The healers started chanting in the ancient language.

Many soldiers had gathered to watch, silent horror and fear in their eyes.

One in particular that Kate recognized leapt from the crowd.

Roran Stronghammer.

"What's going on… Oh no." He saw what was going on.

Murtagh growled and shook as the wound was sealed.

As soon as it stopped, he gasped, breathing heavily.

"Ouch. I remember getting an injury like that a while back." He sympathized with Murtagh as the rider tried to get up.

"Wait, you have several other injuries that could kill you if we don't heal them now!" One of them said.

The spectators' faces paled when they saw the shape the rider was in. He had quite a few gashes in his back, a cut in his leg that was deep enough to have hit bone, and yet another injury in his stomach.

Kate stopped gawking.

"Listen, people, these rebels won't wait for him to be healed, and if you don't get back to your posts you'll end up worse off than he is! Am I understood?" She shouted.

The men darted off.

"Jeez, when I first spotted him I thought it was just the one cut." Roran said.

" So did I." Kate replied.

"Thorn, stay with Murtagh. We'll hold them off until you're ready." She said.

"Thorn and I can help, help me up." Murtagh tried to move and failed.

"If you don't stay still we'll have to put you to sleep." One of the healers said, pushing him down.

"_I will stay." _Thorn rumbled.

They darted off.

"So Roran, Eragon went up to New Carvahall to go see if you and Katrina and Ismira are okay. What are you doing down here?" Kate asked.

"No! We need to get a message through to him, as soon as he escaped the Ra-zac army sacked the city, it's a trap for him and Saphira!" Roran gasped.

"He's not alone." Kate replied, "He has another dragon and rider with him."

"That won't help, someone needs to warn him now!" He shouted.

"_I will fly with you Roran Stronghammer. They will need to stop. We will catch up to them and warn them, and then We will return." _Amethrysta said.

Kate's expression was wild with jealousy for a moment.

"Kate, will you be okay without her?" He asked.

"It can only e a few days. I'll be fine. Besides, Thorn can carry two riders." She said.

Amethrysta looked momentarily stung before agreeing.

Roran hopped onto the small dragon's back and Kate headed back to stay with Thorn and Murtagh while _Her _dragon, _Her _partner of heart and soul, flew off with somebody else.


	7. Chapter 7

I'm writing this chapter in honor of Halloween being tomorrow.

Chapter 7, Haunted

Eragon and Saphira kept talking the entire flight to the halfway point between Dras Leona and Gil'ead.

Eragon picked up some stray chatter from Gar and Lekan.

The black dragon was almost as big as Saphira by now, and he was only half her age. It was strange, but then, Lekan had eaten about three tons of Snagli a week. Add a few deer and you have one huge dragon!

Unfortunately, he wasn't the most Aerodynamic of dragons.

He had a broad chest and long legs, a bulky tail with a huge plume of feathers and his head had frills coming off of it, and horns on his head like an evil crown.

He wasn't very fast, and had trouble flying long distance. He was specifically a combat-built dragon. Not much flying, a lot of thick scales required. More armor. All of that + the vast amount of food he needs = one big and very slow dragon.

Saphira looked back at them.

"_What's the holdup? We have a window of time to meet!" _Saphira said impatiently.

"_Well sorry Saphira-Barjtskular. I'm not the fastest, I'm a warrior, not a swift-dragon like yourself." _Lekan said, appealing to Saphira's vanity.

Eragon stifled a groan as she raised her head and let out a burst of sapphire flame over their heads.

Suddenly, out of freaking nowhere, Lekan got struck by lightning!

"Lekan! Gar!" Eragon shouted.

He and Saphira dove to help, but a giant gust of wind shoved the dragon and rider into a sudden lightning filled funnel cloud as it descended to the ground.

A tree caught Eragon full in the chest, knocking him off Saphira.

He let out a wild scream of "Saphira!" Before tumbling down, trapped to a tree.

There was a roar above him. Saphira was mad at something. Eragon could see fire shooting out of the storm clouds and rage inside Saphira, one so great he had to withdraw.

Saphira roared again.

Eragon tumbled down into the air, sending Saphira message after message saying, "Saphira! I'm about to become a grease spot on the hill there, HELP!"

No reply came.

Then a different set of claws that definitely did NOT belong to Saphira caught him.

THAT was when Eragon screamed.

They were sharp, and cut into his skin. The worst part, they didn't seem to have a body!

"SAPHIRA HELP!" He screamed both physically and mentally.

The Sapphire dragoness did not respond.

Eragon was carried far away from the original destination before he was thrown into a cave, and the entrance covered with a boulder.

He got up, head throbbing, throat sore, and with cuts in his abdomen that would not heal no matter what he did.

Eragon couldn't reach out with his mind either.

He felt cut off, isolated, and even worse, completely alone.

Whatever had grabbed him had left him here to die.

He pounded on the rock, calling with a hoarse voice for help. No one heard. He slumped against the boulder, realizing he'd lost his sword. He was trapped inside a cave.

"Brazul." He growled, using one of Orik's favorite curses.

He sat back, waiting for help.

He didn't have to wait long before something found him.

SCRATCH

Eragon leapt up, reaching for his sword which wasn't there.

SCRATCH

He grabbed a sharp black rock instead.

"Welcome Shadeslayer," cough, SCRATCH, "We have been waiting for you to find your way here, cursed one."

He shivered at the use of the title.

"Who are you?" He asked, challenging.

He wished he hadn't asked.

A large group of corpses shuffled into view, all of which he recognized. In the lead, was Galbatorix.

"What do you want?" He shouted, voice shaking. Last time he fought Galbatorix, he'd barely escaped with his life, and he'd had a lot of help.

"Why Eragon, didn't I say I would make you regret that spell?" He asked, sounding cold, as always.

He motioned for the others to stop.

"We made the storm; I called the talons of Shruikan. Now, we can all exact our revenge, for here, you can never die, just endure."

Galbatorix pierced his mind.

He was considerably weaker than before, oh right, that's because they're fucking dead.

Eragon easily countered the attack with one of his own, making Galbatorix freeze himself.

He ran for the tunnel, killing anything that tried to grab him.

He would NOT be kidnapped and tortured again.

**Saphira**

A tree shot over her head. Eragon screamed. Very uncharacteristic.

She heard him nagging, but she was too busy.

"_Eragon! Do you not see Shruikan? I have to kill this monster!"_

"_Saphira! I'm about to become a grease spot on the hill, HELP!"_

"_Eragon you're on my back. Settle down."_

She sensed pain from him like talons slicing through his skin.

"_SAPHIRA HELP!" _His voice was full of terror.

Saphira looked back, and realized that Eragon was NOT on her back, and was falling.

Cursing herself for being so stupid, Saphira plunged from the storm, forgetting Shruikan.

She couldn't see Eragon anywhere, and he was no longer in reach of her Telepathy.

"_ERAGON! WHERE ARE YOU?" _She screamed through the link.

She knew he never got it. Something was shining on the hill.

"_Eragon, your sword. Something terrible has happened to you, and I cannot find you little one." _She landed, slumping onto the hillside.

Shruikan grabbed her.

"_Barzul!" _Saphira used King Orik's favorite curse, she'd completely forgotten about Shruikan!

She struggled against the iron grip of the talons. Looking up, she saw something horrible, the talons were disembodied!

Fear washed over her.

"_ERAGON HELP!" _ She knew no help would come from her rider, she would have to fight.

There was a very dark underground tunnel approaching.

Saphira roared and struggled, but was thrown into the tunnel. A giant rock rolled into the entrance.

Saphira snorted, and threw herself into the rock.

BOOM!

The rock didn't budge.

With a growl, she breathed fire at it, or tried to. She couldn't even feel the flow of magic, or reach out with her mind.

There was a war cry from the other side of the left wall.

_ERAGON!_

Saphira slamed into the rock, making the earth shake, she did it again and again until she'd broken a horn.

With a snarl, she backed away from the wall and lay down.

SNICK

She raised her head and growled.

SNICK BOOM!

The sound of a dragon walking.

Saphira roared in challenge.

Chains shot at her. She snapped at them, but was tied up in them.

She growled.

There was a strange creaking noise and a bronze dragon stepped out.

She meant bronze literally. The dragon was quite literally made of metal.

**Gar**

Gar woke up on his back chained to a table while smoke drifted from his charred body.

He had a metal rod stuck in his mouth and his head was positioned so that he looked straight at the ceiling.

He couldn't reach out with his mind or feel magic. Nor could he feel his feet.

A skeletal face looked at him.

"This can't be the right one! He can't be the one that hunts things!" It laughed.

Another voice said, "He is, for he killed me himself."

Gar was chilled. He knew that voice, it was that monster man that had enjoyed torturing Eragon.

**Lekan**

When Lekan woke up in a low ceilinged cavern with no exit and chained with brightsteel, he freaked out.

His mouth was in a _muzzle_! The inhumanity!

He snorted out smoke.

He'd meant to blow fire!

He couldn't reach out with his mind or feel magic. Growling, he realized he couldn't move his muscles either!

He growled at anything that would dare approach him.

He had to get free, he had to save his rider.


	8. Chapter 8

Happy Halloween people!

Chapter 8, Haunted part 2

**Eragon**

Eragon ran down the tunnel, dodging the pits into oblivion and columns of fire rocketing from the walls and ceiling.

This place was like the entryway to hell.

"SAPHIRA!" He screamed.

No reply.

The earth shook next to him, and he backed up to the opposite wall.

It shook again.

"Saphira?"

There was a terrible roar and thundering footsteps leading further down the passage.

"Saphira wait! I'm right here!" Eragon shouted, following his dragon's footsteps.

Suddenly, he came across a giant pit, too big to jump across, and the shuffling noises of the angry vengeful death were coming from behind.

Eragon got an idea. It was crazy, but it seemed like a good plan at the time.

He picked up another black obsidian piece and plunged it into the wall.

Using the spikes to climb across, Eragon landed on the other side.

He darted down a passage and cursed as he hit a two pronged junction.

There was a scream of fury as the dead approached, and he had to choose one.

He threw the dull edged obsidian spikes into the entrance of both tunnels.

One of them shot back at him with an explosion. That way had a ward.

Eragon tried to push his way through, and found he passed through effortlessly.

He tried to go back, and to his dismay, he found that there was solid stone blocking him from returning.

There was a shuffle and a moan. The men he'd killed rounded the corner in front of him.

"What? No!" He had left his only weapon behind, and re-killing these guys with fists was not going to happen.

A skeletal hand shot up through the ground and grabbed his foot, holding the horrified rider in place.

He was in the land of the dead, and he was alone, unarmed, and trapped by a bunch of guys who would like no better than to torture him to insanity, for he couldn't die here, nobody could.

Eragon panicked, and swung a fist at the nearest one, sending him flying through the air into the others.

Another dead appendage grabbed him by the arm, jerking him against the wall where his other arms and legs were restrained.

The rock turned into mud and he was pulled partway inside, and it hardened into stone again.

He heard Saphira roar further down the hall.

"Saphira!" He screamed, as the monsters closed in, eyes wide in delight. "Help." He groaned.

**Saphira**

Saphira could hear him now, she was at the crossroads. The rock shouldn't be there, neither should Eragon's hand be sticking through the wall.

_Eragon!_

Saphira roared.

Then she heard Eragon scream.

"Saphira! Help!"

She saw his fist clench.

Roaring she tore through the other entrance, following the loop to the other entryway.

What she saw horrified her.

Everyone he'd killed had massed in a mob in front of him, shouting horrible ways to exact revenge on the helpless rider.

Saphira roared, fire billowing from her maw as she eradicated the corpses.

Only, they didn't die.

Galbatorix stepped forwards.

"Excellent idea Saphira. Burn the rider! Watch him suffer the way we suffered!"

Saphira leveled the crowd and tore Eragon from the rock.

He smiled weakly at her and mounted up.

The two of them shot away. They got to the fire pit.

Saphira growled and flew down it.

"Saphira! What are you…"

She leveled out as they entered the giant cavern.

There was fire and exploding mud and screaming demons everywhere.

"What? This place is only supposed to exist in legend! A wife's tale to tell naughty children!" Eragon gasped.

They were alive in the passage to hell.

A man screamed from far below as his body erupted out of a pool of boiling tar.

A woman laughed with maniacal laughter before impaling herself in spikes.

Shruikan roared while melting in molten rock with spikes protruding from his head. The drauthdaert was still embedded in his eye.

Durza shrieked as he repeatedly stabbed himself through the stomach.

"These people are crazy!" Eragon gasped.

_You said it. Why would Durza be _laughing _while he did that to himself?_ Saphira knew Eragon couldn't hear her.

"We need to get out of here now." Eragon said, "I don't want to end up like them." He shivered.

Saphira blew a streak of sapphire blue fire into the air at a demon who had charged them, squealing.

It looked like a pig with wings.

"When pigs fly." Eragon snorted, laughing. Probably the only sane living person to ever do that in here.

Something spotted them.

"Kill the live ones! Kill them and feast on their blood!"

Everything down there took up the cat call.

Demons and dragons and Ra-zac and lethrblakka took to the air, screaming while the others swarmed over the ground, waiting for their bodies to fall to the ground.

Saphira recognized one of the dragons and let put a horrible wail. It was Glaedr.

Eragon stared in shock at the golden dragon, he'd been good! He was a hero!

On Glaedr's back however, was Durza.

The madman was swinging his arms around and howling with laughter as a child might do when they'd eaten too much sugar.

Glaedr ran into the roof of the pit.

They really didn't need to fight them; the demons of the hellish land fought each other.

Eragon and Saphira flew away.

"There has to be a way out!" Eragon was panicking again.

Saphira snorted out smoke in reassurance.

It didn't help much.

**Gar**

For some weird reason, they'd let Gar go.

"Your friends need your help; you're the only ones the ghosts didn't drag down to hell." The man had said.

"You may see us as the people you resent most. You woke up in the setting you feared like no other. It is the curse placed on us by the spirits of the passage. No one will ever view us as friendly, we are the cursed wanderers, doomed to walk between the living and the dead for all of eternity, to never find peace." Another, who looked like a Ra-zac, said.

"I see you as the men who I killed in Hellgrind, you are the Ra-Zac that was being used as an instrument of torture on Eragon." Gar said, pointing to each in turn. "And you I see as my father." He pointed at the center one.

"You hate your father most of all?" He asked.

"He abandoned me on a hilltop as a child to die. If I had not been found by a wherecat and had Lekan hatch for me, I would e long since dead." He said.

"Who were you raised by then?" He asked, curious.

"The werecats, you idiot! Now stop being such a creeper and tell me how to find Lekan!" Gar replied.

They looked taken aback.

"Okay then." He showed Gar a map.

"Lekan was taken to the dead before we could get to him. If you follow this passage," he pointed at a line on the map, "you should exit right at the hall of Hell. That is where you will find your friends."

Gar turned to leave, taking a sword from them.

"Can I borrow this? Thanks!" He said, not waiting for their answer.

He darted down all of the corridors that the map had indicated, his mental restrictions ending. He could connect with magic and find things with his mind.

He immediately found Lekan, and charged off to save his dragon.

When he rounded the corner, and found his dragon fighting chains.

He freed Lekan and undid the mental and magical ties around him.

"_Thank the heavens you escaped! I was about to breathe fire into my own skull!" _Lekan said.

"You can fry your brain? Why would you do that?" Asked Gar.

"_Um, forget I said that. Let's go seeker." _Gar got on Lekan's back.

Gar let Lekan do the navigating until they got to the tunnel going down.

"Lekan, they're down here." He said.

With a growl, the dragon dove straight down, and pulled up as they got into a giant cavern.

It was horrible.

Everywhere, people were going through self-inflicted torture, and laughing about it.

They were having so much fun doing so it made the dragon and rider sick.

A giant golden dragon was roaring with laughter as he swam in a pool of molten rock with Shruikan, both of them melting and with jagged rocks stuck in them.

A duo of Shades was repeatedly stabbing themselves through the heart.

Fire exploded through cuts and sores in the ground and insane demons ran around giving fatal injuries to the living dead and laughing as they suffered.

"Where are Eragon and Saphira?" He asked.

"_Search for them." _Lekan said.

Gar stretched his mind in all directions until he found a trail.

"Go right and up." He said.

Gar continued directing his dragon until they spotted a blue dragon perched on a rock with Eragon on her back.

"Eragon! Saphira! Over here!" Shouted Gar.

They spotted them, relief spreading across their faces.

Gar lifted their mental restrictions.

"_Do you have a way out?" _Asked Saphira.

"_Yes." _Replied Lekan.

"Thank the heavens! I thought we would be trapped here forever!" Eragon smiled.

"Live ones! Kill the live ones! Feast on their blood!" A cry went up.

Flying demons and dead took chase.

"Come on! Follow us!" Shouted Gar, and they backtracked to their exit, the other two close behind.

They shot like bullets up the tunnel and through the chambers, directing Eragon and Saphira as they went.

Suddenly there was a roar of, "Revenge! Those who have slain us will suffer eternal penance for what they have done!"

"No! I thought we got rid of them already!" Eragon shouted.

"Galbatorix!" Gasped Gar.

Lekan sped up.

They flew down the corridors until there was a loud bang and the metal dragon came back, thrusting it's head into the entrance.

Galbatorix laughed as they skidded to a stop.

"Like my new dragon? Shruikan was an embarrassment. He went mad in the pit, so I used a few quick spells to make myself a new and improved dragon."

The Metal Monster roared in affirmative.

"Well, let's see how you deal with an immortal dragon. MUHAHAHAHA!" Galbatorix howled with maniacal laughter.

They readied themselves to take out the monster.

A cloud of white erupted around them with a soft poof.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9, On the Way to Weldenvarden

Arya looked back at the exhausted dragon and rider. They'd been flying for three days straight. They'd passed Bullridge, but it seemed like Marna was going to be impossible to skip.

"We can land at Marna." Arya shouted. Excited, Zangor flew faster, eager to get to the nearest landing point.

She felt Firnen give him a thread of energy. Marna was in sight, so they flew lower.

The trees were right below the dragons' talons as they flew.

They found a suitable resting place for the dragons. The riders dismounted and walked to the city. The guards recognized them.

"Riders! Thank the Gods! We have help!" one man smiled ear to ear.

"So the new empire hasn't taken over here?" Arya asked.

"No! They are marching from their victory in Bullridge though, and will be here soon. We lack the soldiers and weapons to defeat them." The other one said gravely.

"So, you're going up against the empire? I think we can help." Jackal said.

"I have to get back to Du Weldenvarden immediately. It's urgent, but I will return with help as soon as I can." Arya said, turning to leave.

"You and Zangor may stay here and fight, but I will continue to Du Weldenvarden from here with Firnen.

They sent out mental calls to their dragons with the all clear signal.

Zangor was the first to arrive.

"_Tell me where the food is and I'm all in." _He said with a failed attempt at a smile.

"_I do not require rest at the moment. I believe I can make it to Elesmera without a break." _Firnen said as he swooped down. Arya mounted up and left, leaving the smaller dragon and rider there.

Zangor watched as they disappeared.

"_You know, they are really huge # #$s right Jackal?"_

"What! Since when do you use language? No they aren't # #$s!" Jackal scolded his dragon.

"_Since now. And I really do think so. Honesty is the best policy." _Zangor snorted with laughter after quoting his mother.

"Jeez. You definitely worked up an attitude. Are you hungry or something?" Jackal asked.

"_Yes! Where can I get two nice juicy cows? I want big fat ones!" _His stomach growled.

"Um, do you have any food for a dragon? Zangor has gone for three days without food, and he's getting quite rude." He asked the nearest citizen.

"EEEEEEE! Dragon rider!" The girl squealed.

"Oh no." He muttered as a crowd of teenage girls ran at him.

"Zangor! What are you doing?" He asked his dragon who was abandoning him.

"_Hunting."_

"Take me with you!"

"_No."_

Zangor took off.

Jackal gulped and leapt on top of the nearest house and worked his way away from the fangirls.

After an hour, he just concealed himself in a trade wagon. When the man threw the cover over him off and looked mad, Jackal made a desperate motion towards the fangirls and showed his gedwey insignia.

The man nodded with understanding, and smiled with amusement.

"_Jackal, where are you? I caught five deer and ate all of them, now I can rescue you from your fan club!"_

"_Shut up! I'm hiding!"_

"_Okay. Where are you hiding?"_

"_In the wagon next to the giant crowd!"_

"_I see it. Wait a moment." _ The defining boom as Zangor landed sounded outside. The deafening roar sent the fangirls running.

Jackal climbed out of the wagon and mounted his dragon.

"Let's do a quick Recon and see how far the soldiers are. Maybe we can scare them off." He said.

Zangor growled in agreement and took off, soaring in ever wider circles around the city until they spotted the army. It was consisted of Men, Ra-Zac, and Lethrblaka. No wonder they were so effective, they were being led by a shade!

"Let's see if we can ward them off." Jackal smiled.

"_Shades are dangerous, but can be easily squished." _Zangor agreed.

Zangor picked up a rock and dropped it on top of an unsuspecting Lethrblaka.

The Ra-zac mounted on it managed to only squeak in warning before the two were crushed.

Zangor flew away to find more rocks.

As he dropped one that narrowly missed the Shade, the army picked up the danger and sent the Ra-zac and Lethrblaka up.

Zangor let out a furious explosion of flame.

Jackal didn't dare assault their minds, due to the dangers within, so he began chanting in the ancient language.

A Lethrblaka fell asleep while flying and crashed into a catapult, taking out the other bird monster below him.

Zangor roared and tore the head off of a smaller lethrblaka and threw it and the body at the army below.

Visually shocked by the violence of the action, the next to approach froze for a moment.

A moment was enough.

Its stomach was ripped open by razor sharp and unusually long talons.

That monster to, fell down with the others that had been slain. There were about five left.

Jackal resumed chanting in the ancient language, slowing them down for Zangor to kill.

He occasionally would take out a Ra-zac on their backs, but Zangor's 'disfigured' claws and talons took them out while his 'too large and overly sharp' tail killed others.

Eventually, the last Ra'zac was slain and the army below shot arrows up at them.

"Ganga Aptr." He muttered, and all the arrows shot back at whoever shot them.

This was getting boring. For a Shade, the guy had no idea how to fight.

"_I have an arrow between my claws and a few in my wings. I need to return now." _Zangor told him efore swooping back to the safety of the city, a few leagues away.

Thanks to the long and fast flight routines, Zangor could fly faster than most dragons now. Excluding Amethrysta and Saphira. Maybe Firnen too.

As soon as they landed, the people froze.

"What the? It looks like you've already been fighting!" The governor of the town said.

"We have. The army it three leagues away and approaching fast. We killed all of the Ra-zac and Lethrblaka, and a lot of the archers, but not the Shade leading them." Jackal told him.

"A Shade? How? Eragon and Arya killed them all!" He gasped.

"Well, this one's new. They can spring up now and then." He said.

"Oh, that makes sense." He shuffled away. "Good thing shades are a rider's specialty." He said.

"Eragon and Arya gave you that impression didn't they." Jackal muttered when he pulled out the arrow in between Zangor's claws.

Zangor spat fire onto the ground next to him.

"Okay, now for the ones on your wings." He said, and healed those. Then he moved to all of the other injuries he'd received. By the time he was done, he felt drained.

They stayed outside the city that night, as there was no place big enough to fit Zangor.

The two woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of a twig cracking. Zangor raised his head and moved his wing so Jackal could get out before standing up.

Jackal had his sword out and ready, and Zangor was sweeping the area.

The crackling came from only a few feet away now.

Zangor growled in that direction.

An arrow caught him in the ear.

He roared in fury and spun around, breathing fire at anything that moved. Jackal just barely managed to dodge an odd shaped arrow as it hit the ground in front of him.

"Ambush!" He yelled at Zangor.

"How very right you are." A new cackling voice said. The Shade!

"Malthinae" The Shade shouted.

Visible bonds tied Jackal Down. He didn't know the counter spell yet, so for now, he was just helpless.

Zangor roared in fury, forgetting about the soldiers and going in for the kill blow on the shade.

The Shade simply smiled and prepared to cast another binding spell.

"Zangor get out of here now! It will be better if they only get one of us! Go! Ganga!" He shouted.

And Zangor, reluctantly, took off.

"_Very well, but I will return. Maybe not now, as your spell prevents me from doing so, but in a day. I will rescue you." _Zangor said as he flew to the city, roaring to wake the town.

The Shade smiled down at the Dragon Rider bound at his feet.

"That was painless now wasn't it? Oh, what's wrong? Don't know the counter spell?" He jeered.

"Well, see you when you wake up in prison." He growled. "Slytha."

Jackal slumped into darkness

Zangor flew over the town roaring furiously. Why wouldn't they take a hint?

He landed on the wall and breathed fire down at the enemy forces gathered there.

They either scattered or died trying to.

Zangor launched himself into the air, slaughtering the troops below while searching for his rider.

He let out one more furious roar when he saw that they had Lethrblaka reinforcements on the horizon.

Some civilian came to see what was going on.

"_No! Get out of here! The enemy is here and they have my rider hostage! Get your # #$* &^#%# soldiers out here!" _Zangor telepathically told them.

There was a bang as someone finally noticed they were under attack and the tolling of the alarm bell went off.

About Five arrows struck Zangor in the left wing. He incinerated the enemy archers for that.

The whole battlefield was in chaos by the time the soldiers got out there.

He felt Firnen's mind and let him in.

"_Zangor! Where is your rider?" _He asked.

"_That Shade got him!" _Zangor roared in fury, sending another blast of fire into the enemy's ranks.

There was a second roar as Firnen joined the battle with Arya on his back.

The opposing army was getting slaughtered, but not as quickly as they'd hoped. Their own forces were taking severe losses to, and it wasn't pretty.

Women and children ran for the hills, except for one, a tall fifteen year old girl, by the looks of her, took up the sword and shield of a fallen man and entered the fight.

They seemed to be losing. But then, how can you lose a fight with not one but two angry dragons and a rider on your side?

Having a Shade on the other side and a captured rider, apparently.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10, Ilirea's Hope

**Kate's pov**

Riding Thorn was different from riding Amethrysta. He was much bigger and couldn't do the same dive bombing stunts she could. While Amethrysta was swift and aerodynamic and petite, (if dragons can be petite) while Thorn was bulky and slower, to a degree, and liked to stay on the ground while he fought.

I eventually got sick of it and jumped down and fought on my own. Murtagh was used to this, if only he wasn't too weak to heal himself at the moment and come back down for his dragon.

I had closed my mind to Thorn and he had done the same to me.

I slashed the zar-roc through the nearest soldier's shield and stabbed him through the stomach. I had borrowed the sword from Murtagh, seeing as he wouldn't be using it at the moment.

I felt a blast of heat behind me and heard the screams of men as they fell to Thorn's fire. I was sweating as if this was a hot summer day and had several cuts on my legs and my wrist shield. Mu helmet felt like it weighed a thousand pounds and the chainmail made me feel like I was trying to fight in a dress.

I still managed to slaughter any soldier in my path. Arrows flew away as I shouted a spell, and I learned the handy trick of stealing the energy for my spells from the enemy soldiers while killing them at the same time.

I had started using three new spells, Jireda, Andlat, and Kveykva. Jireda obviously meant break, Andlat is one of the seven words of death, and kveykva is quite obviously lightning. I took out a few platoons like that, but it took all of the energy in another to go through with. I'll remember to only use that one against armies.

The current one, I quite literally sang, was "Ganga aptr Jireda!" Go backwards and break. It took out several lines of enemy soldiers.

Five enemies fell dead next to me.

I really had to stop this, or I'll end up like Galbatorix.

I hacked through line after line of foes, leaving a wake of death and destruction in my wake.

I heard a distant roar and realized how far I'd gone from Thorn.

I circled around to that direction and shouted a spell to redirect a flock of arrows heading at me. I slaughtered hundreds without even realizing it.

Thorn seemed pleased by my arrival, glad that I was not dead already. He said so over the mind link.

"_Ah, hatchling. I was afraid I had left you too far behind and you had fallen. I would never hear the end of it from Murtagh." _Thorn spat fire at an incoming soldier.

"Have you checked up on him?" I asked.

"_The healers keep him asleep for now. He has suffered many injuries, and one has already become infected. Before they can heal him completely it has to be cleaned extensively. It could be days before he is back on his feet. That hatchling would e dead if you hadn't intervened, and for that I thank you." _

By now, we were standing on a twelve foot high mound of bodies and every enemy soldier fled before us.

"Well, they nearly killed your rider! Take your revenge in their blood!" I shouted.

Thorn roared and plunged into enemy ranks, and I took off in the opposite direction.

Thorn wasn't all that bad.

**Amathrysta's pov**

It was hot, my sides were burning, I was sweating, and my wings ached. We'd been over this area a thousand times and hadn't found them, yet this is where they should be! I sensed them here with my mind!

But nooooo, they had to not be here! I should be touching Saphira!

"_Roran, I sense Saphira here! According to everything she taught me, we should be inside her by now! Yet nothing is here!" _I growled in frustration at my temporary rider.

"Are you sure? I see nothing here! Wait, do you see something over there?" Roran asked, squinting to make out a glitter in the air.

"_Yes! But that isn't Saphira, that dragon is grey and… Stormfire! Hold on tight Stronhammer, and grab your weapon! This was a trap!" _I snarled.

He seemed to get the drift that Stormfire was the enemy here. "Who's stormfire? A rival dragon?" He asked.

"_Shruikan's apprentice! And of course he has a rider. I managed to glean the information from_ _a soldier. Her name is Maud, or more commonly known, her Majesty. They are both completely insane from years of torture to the point that they serve Galbatorix's ghost's every whim. Somehow he managed to stick around in Shruikan's eldunari with him." _I explained.

Roran was frightened. "I don't think I can match up to a rider." He said nervously.

"_I will do the fighting, you just dodge and try to disarm that putrid disgrace of a rider while I take that overgrown hatchling of a dragon!" _I told him and roared at the approaching dragon.

He roared back and blew lightning at me. I dodged easily and shot forwards with a new speed. Roran readied his hammer. I miss my rider.

For one, she is light as a feather on my back. Roran is much heavier. She is a skilled swordswoman; he uses that bulky hammer and could just as easily hurt me. She fits perfectly into the saddle, and he doesn't.

It was easier to move around with a smaller rider.

So that's why when I went to do an upward spiral while buffeting the air that the other dragon's wings were on, I twisted to hard and broke Roran's leg with my neck.

He howled with pain and I stopped, realizing that he was too big on my back for me to move like that.

Unfortunately, while I hesitated, the enemy tore up my right wing.

I knew I was doomed, there was no magic here with this man. No one could heal me as I fell.

Then Stormfire dove and caught me in his claws around the belly and dragged me and my temporary rider to a slower stop on the ground.

It was so unexpected that I choked a cloud of smoke from my throat as I was set down.

Roran fell off.

"_What? You're the enemy! Why would you save us? If you were a friend, why trap us?" _I asked.

"_Because we need your rider and Eragon and Saphira to complete the set. With you two as bait, we can accomplish that. Now you are in no condition to fight and…" _

Wrong word choice. No one will EVER, use me as a ransom. My rider would be safe!" So I sucked in a breath and roared, snapping my jaws around Stormfire's mouth.

The dragon snorted, at an inability to do anything in his position he whined and struggled.

Roran stabbed Maud in the shoulder with her own sword, severing her arm.

Maud shrieked in pain and fell unceremoniously to the ground.

I threw the younger dragon at a stone wall. He crashed and roared in pain and fury. I let out a growl of satisfaction as I managed to work magic myself and heal my wing.

The younger dragon had both of his wings broken, one of his legs was also broken. His head had several deep gashes where I had bit him.

"Now, we will be the ones taking you back with us." Roran said.

I snarled at the dragon and rider in consent.

Roran wrapped Maud's arm and tied her down to her dragon's saddle, making sure to cover her mouth and use a magic restraining crystal tied to her back.

"I got it from Dras Leona and kept it just in case." He explained.

Carrying the smaller dragon was no trouble. We arrived back, and unsuccessful in our mission, to Ilirea in a few hours with our prisoners.

When Nasueda saw us she rushed out, and her guards, the Nighthawks, pointed their weapons at the injured dragon and rider.

"These two set a trap for us. It didn't end well for them." He said from my back.

"Roran, care to come down?" Nasueda asked.

"I would if someone hadn't broken my leg." He said, pointedly glaring daggers at me.

"_I was performing a complex areal maneuver and am used to a smaller rider, and I may have crushed his leg. You'll find Maud the Fraud in a worse condition." _I snorted.

"I thought your rider was Katharine." Nasueda addressed me.

"_She is. I was with Roran trying to warn Eragon and Saphira and the two others with them of a trap in Gil'ead. Apparently, someone learned of our excursion and set one for us." _I replied.

A healer helped Roran down.

"_I am going to find my rider before Thorn steals her." _I took off and headed to the battlefield, where I knew she'd be.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11, The four that dreamed

Eragon sat up, flinching at the broken arm. He wasted no time in healing it. He realized that he was still on Saphira, who had a broken wing and a chipped claw, and was missing a few scales. She was not going to like that.

There were a lot of fallen trees around them, and two skid marks where Saphira and Lekan had hit the ground. They were at the little clearing that Eragon had thought he'd been grabbed above. Strange.

Saphira stirred. _"Eragon? Oww, I feel terrible and AAAAAGGGHHHH! I LOOK LIKE I JUST CRASHED INTO A MOUNTIAN! WHAT HAPPENED!"_

"Um, I don't know." Eragon said, healing her. Gar woke from meditation nearby.

"We were caught in the storm and you all went into comas. I had to insert myself and get you out before they became permanent." He said.

"_Hmm. Good. I really didn't want to be asleep for my whole life. So where…. WHAT THE #### HAPPENED TO MY SCALES! I'M VULNERABLE!" _Lekan roared. He was missing a horn, had lost nearly all of his protective chest scales, and had a claw nearly wrenched out.

"We crashed." Gar said, and set to work healing Lekan. He managed to heal everything but the horn and a few protective chest scales.

"_They feel lighter. I know I'm missing a few, but the ones you grew back are lighter. Did you use a spell for that too?"_

"No."

Eragon stared. They all had heard what Lekan had said. He didn't know it was possible to grow scales back lighter. Maybe Lekan was going through a transformation. "Well, we need to get to Gil'ead. Do you think you can fly okay?" Eragon asked.

"_Yes, you healed me."_ Saphira let out a puff of smoke.

Lekan turned his head up.

"Lekan says he's offended you even had to ask." Gar informed them.

"Well, I meant no disrespect Lekan Bjartskular." Eragon said, earning an indignant snort from Saphira.

There was a pause. "He says he accepts you're apology, but he's currently not speaking to you." Gar relayed with a hint of amusement in his voice.

The riders leapt onto the dragons' saddles and they took off.

Saphira took the lead, naturally, while Lekan followed not too far behind. Maybe those scales were lighter.

They flew all day in complete silence.

When they landed that night, Eragon Continued to teach Gar sparring while Saphira and Lekan hunted. Gar had improved greatly. Once they were done, Eragon taught Gar spell casting. He managed to control the water into a ball and shoot it at Eragon's head, which, to Eragon's frustration, was a direct hit.

There was the telltale thud in the air as Saphira and Lekan joined them.

The two dragons choked on their laughter when they saw Eragon, soaking wet with water dripping from his hair standing in a muddy puddle that had gathered around his feet.

"_Eragon! What happened to your… Oh it hurts!" _Saphira managed as Eragon shook the droplets from his head and muttered a spell to dry himself off.

Gar smiled.

Eragon was red in the face. Everyone in the area was laughing at him!

"Adurna risa ganga eiom Gar." He muttered. And as commanded, a wave of water surged from the river and hit Gar full on. By the time Eragon cut the flow of magic, Gar was sputtering in a much bigger puddle, or small pond, of water while dripping with a fish flopping about on his forehead.

He gave the most hilarious of frustrated looks that made the dragons collapse in another fit of laughter.

"Adurna garjzla garm." He muttered, and doubled over, cutting the string of magic almost instantly as a glowing wolf puppy made of water launched itself at Eragon, who caught it with a simple spell.

"Eitha." The puppy returned to water.

"Never do that again Gar. That is dangerous." Eragon told him.

"Yeah, I noticed."

The dragons had stopped laughing. Saphira was tearing at the remains of a deer while Lekan scarfed down a cow.

"Um, Lekan, where did you get the cow?" Asked Gar.

Something passed between them.

"Well, Gil'ead isn't far off. My very bright and wonderful partner here stole this cow from somebody's field!" Gar shouted.

Lekan snorted out smoke and rolled his eyes.

"_If Gil'ead is close, then we should head there in the cover of darkness. Who knows when we'll get a better chance? You can borrow a horse from a field and pose as travelers. Of course, disguises will be needed and you will have to enter at separate times." _Saphira said.

"By borrow, you mean steal, don't you?" Eragon accused.

"_Lekan and I will return them when we are done there. They won't be missed." _Saphira let a puff of fire from her jaws, telling them that this was no joking matter.

The riders exchanged looks and nodded. If they knew anything about dragons, it was to never argue with them.

"Okay then. So I'll just get some Magic disguises ready and let's go, or we'll miss our chance." Eragon said.

The riders got back on their dragons and flew away.

The cool Night air swept passed them like water drizzling across them. Lekan was flying somewhat behind Saphira, and he was slowly becoming faster. He was adapting to all of the long flights now and soaring high above the other dragon.

They saw Gil'ead from a distance and flew lower. Lekan was too bulky to fly too low to the ground, so about a mile away, the dragons landed in the wooded area and waited for the riders, who refused to 'borrow' horses.

Eragon went first with gloves on and hair covered. He'd made it seem as if he was human in appearance, which he was proud of because he'd never done that before.

He had let Gar handle his own disguise, which included a hat to cover his horns, mud over his entire left arm with the gedwey insignia on it, torn clothing, and a fake three pronged scar across his eye.

The dragon rider approached the gate. The soldiers saw him and stopped him, suspicious.

"What's your name and business here?" One asked.

In an altered voice, Eragon replied, "I was robbed of all my possessions on the road. I come for shelter and food." He lied.

"How are you going to get that?"

"I have some money left." He said.

"Well, good enough for me." Said one guard. They were imperial all right.

But then one whispered in his ear as he passed, "Go get em Eragon."

He stopped for a moment, startled. _Well, I don't have a very good disguise then. Must've been the gloves and the fact I made myself look like a human version of me. _He thought, and continued in.

He slid over to a supply booth and bought some food and essentials. He saw Gar at another booth getting something green-ish. Eragon didn't want to know what it was. Maybe revenge for last night.

An unfamiliar mind touched his, and his defenses instantly went up. But despite the struggle Eragon put up, whoever it was seemed to glean who he was from it.

A few moments later, a Shade walked out of a wall. Literally out of it.

Eragon knew that the shade was onto him, so he dumped the disguise and shouted, "Brsingr!"

The spell exploded on the Shade's chest, sending him flying. He didn't go far. The civilians screamed. One hit the Shade in the head with a rock. It was a dark haired girl with tan skin and blue eyes.

The Shade shot a spell at her, and she went limp on the ground.

Eragon fought hard, using his sword to fight while mentally attacking him and defending both ways.

Seeing his trouble, Gar jumped in, slashing with his new curved blade and attacking with a few weak spells and mental defenses.

To their horror, a second Shade came from the wall the first one had, followed by a third.

Two attacked Eragon while the other subdued Gar.

There were two roars as the dragons swooped over the city, looking for a way to attack in the small alley.

Lekan toppled a building and snapped at one with his huge jaws, just to be attacked by three lethrblakka.

Saphira tired to roast them, and having no success, attacked the old fashioned way.

Eragon was the first down. A Shade managed to get inside his head and had enough influence over his movements to make them sluggish.

The other Shade bashed Eragon in the head, and he crumpled on the ground, blood seeping from a cut in the back of his head.

Gar was stunned for a moment, and a moment was enough. A Shade shouted, "Slytha!" And he didn't get a chance to use a counter spell.

The dragons were furious. Finishing off the Lethrblakka, they plunged downwards. The Shades were ready. Eragon managed to get up and weakly shout, "Go! It's no good if they get you too!"

"Slytha." Shade #1 said boerdly. Eragon didn't have the strength to use a counter spell.

Saphira had heard, and with an outraged cry, she flew away. There was nothing she could do, the alley was too small for her to fit in, and every hatchling worth three pennies knew that. Breathing fire down there would roast her rider.

Lekan blew a jet of black fire at the city cathedral, melting the spire, and followed Saphira.

The Lead Slade grinned wickedly. "Drug them and let's take them to prison. Those new chains ought to be useful against magic users." He laughed.

"What about that girl?" Asked one Shade.

Curious, the Shade checked her palm. He rubbed off some mud and found, to his shock, a gedwey insignia.

"Take this one with them! She's a rider to!"

**Krystal Flashback**

I ran through the forest hunting. This would be my big day, the day I proved girls can do anything guys can, if not more.

I drew back an arrow, pointing it at the bear's head. I know all the killing points. I pointed it directly between the eyes and let it loose.

The arrow struck home and sank into the weak point, piercing the bear's brain, killing him instantly.

I smiled and leapt over the log, whistling for my horse and the game sled. This would feed me and my family for months, and the price of the fur could make us rich, but it would be better to make it into insulation.

My horse, Cadoc, a brave creature, trotted forwards. In local legend, it was said that Eragon Shadeslayer, or Kingkiller, had ridden this beauty when he was with his mentor, Brom. He was so loyal, in fact, that some people said the horse was magic!

He nuzzled me to say hello and waited for me to load the bear's carcass onto the sled, and then I gave Cadoc the go home signal and ran as fast as I could to keep up. I'm nearly as fast as Cadoc, and can hold this pace for hours on end.

Luckily, I didn't need to.

Putting on a burst of speed when Gil'ead approached, Cadoc had to speed up. We were in soon, and I sold the hide for money and gave the bear to the butcher, who was astonished.

"Well, waddaya know! The huntress brings in the biggest catch of the year!

I smiled and paid him.

Then a man came in with a strange bundle.

"Ah, Krystal. I've been trying to find you all day!" He said, gasping to catch his breath. He must be fast if he caught up to me so quickly.

"You've been looking for me?" I asked. Maybe Cadoc is a good luck horse after all.

"Yes! Everyone agrees with me when they say that the egg might hatch for you!" He said, handing me the dragon egg.

I didn't know what to say. This is something everyone's done already, but to hold the white dragon egg was something that astounded me and filled me with wonder.

There was a soft squeak inside.

"Take it home with you tonight. It probably won't hatch right now."

Then the attackers arrived. That's when I'd run off on another 'hunting trip' to Narda to secure the egg. That's also where I first fought with Zangor.


End file.
